Lucknow, Feb. 3 -- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed the state agriculture department to implement oilseed and pulse-based intercropping with sugarcane in mission mode, saying the model had the potential to multiply farmers' income manifold. Chairing a high-level meeting, the chief minister said intercropping high-value crops such as mustard, lentil, urad and moong along with sugarcane would provide additional output, lower input costs and ensure stable income for farmers throughout the year. Intercropping is an agricultural technique of growing two or more crop species simultaneously in the same field during a single season to maximize land-use efficiency and boost yield. "With no scope for horizontal expansion of cultivable land, increasing production per unit area is the only way forward to meet the state's trillion-dollar economy target," he said. Yogi said sugarcane-based intercropping should become the new agricultural model for Uttar Pradesh, offering higher production, better income and risk protection simultaneously. He directed that the plan be rolled out from 2026-27 to 2030-31 across the state's 29.50 lakh hectares of sugarcane area, including 14.64 lakh hectares of newly sown fields and 14.86 lakh hectares under ratoon crop. A ratoon crop is a second or subsequent harvest grown from the rootstock left in the ground after the first main crop is cut, without replanting, to save costs and time. The chief minister said large-scale adoption of intercropping would improve cash flow for farmers, reduce dependence on a single crop and make agriculture more sustainable, adding that the initiative should drive a broader transformation of the state's agricultural sector. He said integrating oilseeds and pulses in such a vast area would significantly boost output and strengthen self-reliance in these crops at both state and national levels. He asked Krishi Vigyan Kendras and agricultural universities to scientifically select suitable intercrops. Based on IISER recommendations, he suggested promoting mustard and lentil during the Rabi season and urad and moong during the Zaid season on a large scale. The Zaid season is a short, summer cropping period (March to June) between the main Rabi (winter) and Kharif (monsoon) seasons. Stressing that the model would not affect sugarcane yield, Yogi called it a system of "additional crops, additional profit and additional security," and directed officials to prepare a year-wise roadmap....